Buyer requesting refund to different email address

[dosagushi]

Hello,

I have a buyer who purchased an item, around the 150$ usd mark, I am in Canada. Though I don't think that makes a difference here.

The item in question apparently had a small imperfection on the case that I had not noticed. I offered a 30$ refund if they wanted to keep it or they could send it back for a full refund, I would cover the shipping cost. He opted to send it back.

Now he is trying to get me to send items in its place or refund the cost to new a payapl address, different from the original one used to make the payment, also claiming that he no longer has the original paypal account.

I told him that I would be more comfortable refunding the original payment as he could open a dispute after i sent the payment to the other address and the buyer protection would refund him a second time. Like wise if I sent him some other items instead, I would instantly lose the buyer protection dispute.

Currently there is no dispute open.

I have been very polite and done all I can. but he is becoming rude/aggressive now that I want to refund the original payment. Is there anyway to link the new email to the old paypal or something so that i can still cover my rump and make this person happy?

I haven't been able to figure it out.

cheers,

I was also thinking that I might send a payment of a penny or something to that original paypal to see if it is still active. I sent him 15 usd two weeks ago for return shipping and he received that fine 😕  ......

[hlmacdon]

I can't think of any valid reason for the buyer to request the refund to a different address. Unless they furnish evidence that the new email is linked to the same paypal account then I would deny the request. Do yourself a favor and don't fall for the angry buyer routine. Call ebay and paypal and report the individual and get their behavior on file, and get yourself a reference number. If things work themselves out no harm no foul, if not then at least it saves you backpedaling when a chargeback gets initiated.

[reallynicestamps]

You have the item back?

Okay.

Go to the original Paypal payment and refund.

It's a single click and everything is on record.

Everything else is his problem.

[dmil8030]

Hello 'dosagushhi', 

<< a buyer who purchased an item... 150$ usd mark, ... had a small imperfection .... I offered a 30$ refund .... 

He opted to send it back.>>

Was this about that CD collection?  Was it returned in exactly the same condition with the same factory-sealed packaging

as when it left your house?

<<Now he is trying to get me to send items in its place or refund the cost to new a payapl address, >>

A replacement item?  Another copy of the exact same item without the alleged imperfection?  

Hmph.  I didn't think so.  Maybe I am just feeling under-slept or under-caffeined this morning, but this situation has 'scam'

written all over it.  

<< also claiming that he no longer has the original paypal account.>>

This makes no sense to me.  Why in blazes would he not have the same paypal account so soon after the $150 purchase?  

A paypal account isn't like a cell phone where people constantly chuck last year's version to upgrade to the newest gadget.  

There is no need to explain to a buyer your fears of losing your protection.  Scammers already know you will lose your

seller protection and they are contriving ways to manipulate you into doing so.  

<< he is becoming rude/aggressive now that I want to refund the original payment.>>

This is not the behaviour of a genuinely concerned person.  Were he in earnest he would offer proof and do so 

gladly, not leave you to wonder if there is some 'back door' way you can test the veracity of his assertions.

You say there is no claim open.  He is unlikely to open one, not when he is trying to scam you.  Even if a seller were to 

dig in her heels, refuse to refund,  and ebay forced the refund, ebay would put it back in the original paypal account.

Therefore, as 'reallynicestamps' so clearly states, -- if you have the item back now, use the Refund link in your 

paypal account to instantly refund the original payment. 

It's as simple as that, and in so doing you maintain your seller protection. 

Moreover, even if the original paypal account were no longer active, you would get the refund back.  It is not lost.

But I think you will find it goes straight to the buyer, much to his chagrin.  

And when you are done that, you will have heard about this:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/manage_bidders_ov.html#block

Best of luck. 

[dosagushi]

Yes,  I have blocked this buyer for future purchases,

The item has not arrived yet, still in the post. I hadn't planned on sending two or three replacement items to him.

I hope it has not been re-shrunk without the discs or something I will compare it to the one I have that is currently not listed but still sealed, I hadn't thought about that....

This was for a rare Blu ray collection, there was a defect in the shrink wrap and a small bump to one corner, small enough that I didn't notice it / them, and I am pretty careful about that kind of thing after dealing with record collectors and blu ray steelbook collectors 😕   Fair enough if you need something ultra immaculate, who I am to say what others want for their collection. 

Though this pay to another email thing seems pretty suspicious to me.

Thanks to all the responses confirming my thoughts.

Unless I could have somehow linked his two paypals together, there is no way I would refund to a different email.

Thank you all !!! 🙂

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@hlmacdon wrote:

I can't think of any valid reason for the buyer to request the refund to a different address.

---

There are reasons a buyer would want it sent to a different paypal address.

Most likely: The paypal account used to pay for the item is not their own.

Legit use would be Gift giving - buyer selects his present and gift giver pays with their paypal account. Buyer does not want money going back to giftgiver's account since (a) he'd like the money or (b) he'd have to explain himself to the giftgiver or (c) all of the above.

[dosagushi]

Hmm, interesting idea.

But it is still to his paypal address in this situation, same email except with the number in it switched to two numbers. Still their full name otherwise, he also said that it was his new paypal address and he didn't have his old anymore, a couple weeks after making this purchase. 

But I suppose what you say is a possibility in other situations. Still seems odd.

[dosagushi]

my post above this should have read that it was his old paypal account, not someone elses, and the new one was also his.

He is a a collector who bought this for himself with his own account.

[sylviebee]

If you refund to a different account than the one payment was made from, there will be no record of a refund and the buyer would still have all the options available.

Refunding to a different account will just show as payment sent with no goods or services involved in the transaction and I wouldn't do it.

Also, I doubt that an account could be completely closed for quite some time after the last transaction for obvious reasons (such as the one you've described above).

Since the buyer is saying that the original account no longer exists you should call paypal and check it out before doing anything.

[dosagushi]

I got the item back,

a little worse for wear than when I shipped it originally.

I refunded the buyer anyway. To the original email paypal. It went through fine.

He immediately left negative feedback with the a comment about it being BS.

Is there anyway to ask to have the feedback removed or to reply to feedback?

thanks,

I thought I was being nice by accepting a return no questions asked......

[hlmacdon]

Call and explain that the buyer was attempting to get a refund to a different account then payment was made to and his negative feedback was left in relation to and references that. I see no reason why it shouldn't be removed. Use the help & contact links to navigate to report problem with a buyer, then call in with the appropriate code # to ensure you are directed to the correct department.

[dmil8030]

Hello 'dosagushi', 

<<  refunded the buyer. . .To the original email paypal. It went through fine. >>

Did you ever really have any doubt? 

The buyer left the negative because he is mad that he could not trick you and so is now punishing you.  

You may be able to get it removed by using the Help & Contact link at the top of the page and clicking your way 

through to a phone number and pass code.  

Feedback no longer counts against sellers and so it seems that it is increasingly difficult to get it removed for the 

asking.  Used to be it was rather easy to get negs removed.  

So if your first attempt does not work, try again.  If you use the "Feedback" route on your first try, you will likely get 

channelled to someone whose job it is to refuse you.  

Learn what you can from that experience and try again later, using something other than "Feedback" from the 

Help & Contact link. 

Here is ebay's page about feedback removal.  See if you can find some good reasons in there as to why it should 

be removed.  

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/feedback-removal.html

You did everything you are supposed to do as a seller, conducted yourself very professionally, but the buyer tried 

to trick you into sending the money elsewhere, thus putting you at risk for a further 'claim' and additional loss.  

This is pure retaliatory feedback.  

Best of luck 

[dosagushi]

Thanks,

I am just headed to Peru for a few weeks. But I will try your suggestions when I get back.

No, I didn't really have any doubt. I am actually pretty sure that he returned a different item than the one I sent.

But oh well,

anyhow,

Many thanks !